Karen Lewis Young, wife of former mayor, to run for alderman
Originally published May 02, 2009
By Adam Behsudi
News-Post Staff
Karen Lewis Young, wife of former Frederick Mayor Ron Young, will run for a seat on the Board of Aldermen. "I believe the Board of Aldermen, in particular, needs to bring a stronger skill set of management and financial analysis," said Young, a Democrat. A resident of Frederick since 1996, Young is seeking public office for the first time but was involved in her husband's last bid for mayor in 2005. He lost to current Mayor Jeff Holtzinger after beating incumbent Jennifer Dougherty in the Democratic primary. The two have been married for three years. Young, 57, was raised in Montoursville, Pa., and graduated from Franklin and Marshall College. She holds master's degrees in history and business from Columbia University. She has more than 30 years of experience in marketing and management with companies including American Express, Chase Manhattan, Citibank and most recently Capital One, where she was director of market research. She came to Frederick as director of marketing for Farmers and Mechanics National Bank. She now operates her own consulting business, Karen Lewis Market Research. Her decision to run for office was in part motivated by the recent presidential election and her community involvement. She said she is ready to take that involvement to the next level as an elected official. Young said she will push for a better way to measure and obtain public opinion and ideas, partly by working closely with the city's Neighborhood Advisory Council system. "Showing up at City Hall is not the only way to get city input," she said. "The NAC function could become even more significant than it is today." Other Democrats who have announced candidacy include Kelly Russell, a retired city police officer who works part time as the city's special vehicles coordinator; Andrew Kotkin, owner of his own residential project and construction management company; Michael O'Connor, former moderator of Comcast channel 10 political talk show "Pressing Issues"; and incumbent Alderwoman Donna Kuzemchak, who is seeking her fourth term. The only Republican who has filed candidacy is Senitta Conyers, an employee with a Fort Detrick consultant and owner of an event management firm. No other incumbent aldermen have announced candidacies for another term. All five seats are open. The city's primary elections will take place Sept. 15. General elections are set for Nov. 3. After the election, aldermen will see their part-time salaries go up from $13,500 to $25,000.
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